QuestionI had my front drums turn, metal shavings got into the bearings and hub what is the best way to clean the hub?
AnswerYou're not going to like this, but if the drums were put back on that way, you are probably best advised to get new bearings and races for it. The grit from the grinding stones gets into the grease, and cannot be removed without washing the bearings in solvent, drying them and then re-packing them with a bearing packer.
The shop should have done all that, but if they didn't, the bearings and the races are already ruined if they put them back together that way even if you didn't drive it - just tightening the bearing retainer nut is enough to damage the races and bearings.
If you caught it before it was put back together, you can drive out the races and bearings in the drums with a big hammer (3 pound) and a punch, working out from the inside of the drum to get the outer race out, and in from the outside of the drum to get the inner bearing out. You will see that the hub has slots to drive through where you can actually get your punch up against the race itself. DO NOT pound on the inner bearing - only it's outer race!
This will probably ruin the grease seal, so you'll need to get new seals anyway, and I'd advise getting all 4 new bearings and races to be safe at the same time. Getting the inside inner race off the spindle is a bit of a chore, but you can do it with a very thin bladed putty knife to start it moving, then pull it off. All the races have to be replaced - don't skip this step!
Either way you decide to go, take each brake drum and set it over a pail, and get some clear kerosene at the hardware store and flush and brush the insides of the hub until you see clean bright bare cast iron and nothing else in there - do it from both sides. Then set them aside to dry. If the old bearings didn't get into the mess, wash them out the same way, using a paint brush or something similar to wash out ALL the old grease and grit. Air dry them too (don't spin them with an air nozzle - it will over-rev them and ruin them). Now, you have to repack them. This takes a special bearing packing tool and a pressure grease gun - I'd take them back to the brake place and ask them to pack them for you if you don't have one. The old timers like me think they can do it with a skill developed in the old days of putting a wad of grease in their palms and using a sort of a scraping motion, work the grease into the bearings from the large edge- but I don't do it that way anymore because the tool does a much better job of packing them solid. You only need to pack the bearings well - you don't need to pack grease into the interior of the hub.
To re-install the races, the best way to do it is to use the old race and a wooden block with your 3# hammer to drive each race in - if you are re-using the old races, you'll have to find something that is the right diameter to slip inside the hub hole and drive the race in squarely without wobbling or cocking. Make sure the races are up tight against the machined stop inside the hub!
I know this is more than you wanted to do, but I'm afraid you are in for it now! Whoever contaminated your hubs should be hung by his thumbs!
Dick
